Sunday 4 June 2023

Looking Ahead A Catholic Handbook for School Students - The Association of Catholic Women and the Catholic Truth Society

Looking Ahead
A Catholic Handbook for School Students 
The Association of Catholic Women 
ISBN 9781784697471
CTS Booklet CH75


Over the last several years I have read 352 different volumes from the Catholic Truth Society, many of them more than once. I have nearly 200 others I want to read. And each year they come out with new ones that often end up on my wish list. I picked this one up shortly after it released. I picked it up for my daughter in grade 7 that is about to be confirmed. She absolutely loved it, and much to my surprise so does her older brother. I have had to order a second copy for him. I read it one afternoon over a couple of mugs of tea. It is an excellent volume. It is stunning with full page colour on every page. Each chapter has a clear colour on the edges of the pages. It is well laid out. With the information presented in a variety of formats, text boxes, asides, and main text. I was really impressed with the quality and craftsmanship. 

The description of this book is:

“Looking Ahead answers big questions about life, God, and the world. Full of useful information, quirky facts, assorted prayers, stories of saints and heroes, and beautiful illustrations, this is a book to help you make sense of your amazing calling to follow Jesus Christ.

Figuring out what it means to be a disciple of Christ as a young person today is tricky. If you think about it, you probably have a lot of questions: How am I supposed to know what’s true? Or know what to do? Who has the answers? Is it science? Is it the Bible? How does it all fit together? And what does it mean for my life? Looking Ahead answers big questions about life, God, and the world.

Full of useful information, quirky facts, assorted prayers, stories of saints and heroes, and beautiful illustrations, this is a book to help you make sense of your amazing calling to follow Jesus Christ.”

The chapters and section in this volume are:

Forward
Faith and History
     Who is Jesus Christ?
     How do we know Jesus Christ existed?
     What is the Bible?
     Can we trust the Gospels?
     When did Christianity arrive in Britain?   
     Britain’s patron Saints
     The Lord’s Prayer in Gaelic
     The Lord’s Prayer in Irish
     The Lord’s Prayer in Welsh
     The Lord’s Prayer in English
     The Reformation in Britain
     Good News across the world
Our World and Science
     Genesis: the beginning … his love
     But …
     Why is this?
     Our World
     What is the Big Bang Theory
     The Church and evolution
     Noted Catholic Scientists
          Hildegard of Bingen (c.1098-c.1179)
          Roger Bacon (c.1214-c.1294)
          Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
          Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
          Albert Curtz (1600-1671)
          Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680)
          Jean Picard (1620-1682)
          Nicholas steno (1638-1686)
          Georg Joseph Kamel (1661-1706)
          Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799)
          Louis Braille (1809-1852)
          Luis Pasteur (1822-1895)
          Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915)
          Georges Lamaitre (1894-1966)
          Jerome Lejeune (1926-1994)
Young Saints
     Pope Benedict XVI speaks to the young people of Britain
     Carlo Acutis
     Charles Lwanga and companions
     Dominic Savio
     Maria Goretti
     Bernadette Soubirous
Living the Christian Life
     About Prayer
     We start our prayers with the Sign of the Cross
     Our Father
     Hail Mary
     Glory Be
     Apostles Creed
     Prayer to the Holy Spirit 
     Prayer in the Morning
     Morning Offering
     Prayer at Night
     Prayer to my Guardial Angel
     Prayer to St Michael
     Grace before meals
     Grace after meals
     The Memorare
     The Hail Holy Queen
     Sub tuum
     Fatima Prayer
     Popular Devotions
          The Rosary
          The Stations of the Cross
          The Divine Mercy Chapley
     Catholic Doctrine
     The Ten Commandments
     The Seven Sacraments
     The Five Precepts of the Chuch
     The Sacrament of Penance
     Going to Confession
     An Examination of Conscience
     The Mass
     Making a Spiritual Communion
     Adoration of the blessed Sacrament
Quick Queries
     Why are there different Christian Denominations?
     Can’t al;l Christians just unite?
     Why must we go to Mass on Sundays?
     Why do Holy Days matter?
     How does the Church Calendar work?
     Are priests always holy?
     Why are all priests men?
     Are men and women different?
     What does the Church teach about LGBT people?
     Why is there suffering in the world?
     Have Catholics always behaved well?
     Are the internet and modern technology good?
     Are saints always people from long ago?
Over to YOU
     What could help you be a better Catholic?
          First things first
     What and listen: TV, video, radio, film and theatre
          Films for young people
          Radio Stations/Podcasts for young people
          The Wintershall plays
          Get involved!
          Get together with friends
          Your local church … and further afield
          Find out about going on a pilgrimage
Go deeper! (List or resources and links)
     Trust in God
     Do not be Afraid

As you can see in 111 pages it packs in a lot of information. The pages are a nonstandard size. And it stands out on the side table or bookcase. It is a great book for children from first communion to confirmation, and even beyond. I just really wish there was an eBook edition. That way they could keep it on them at all times. And my son and I could both use adaptive technology. I have a dual form of dyslexia and prefer eBooks to change the font, font and page colour, and my son has eye tracking issues and often has 1 line at a time highlighted. But other than the lack of a digital edition, this is an incredible resource. This would be a wonderful addition to any child’s library, church, home or school library as well.

An excellent resource the whole family loves. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.






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